Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has called to wipe Israel off the map, should bear in mind that his own country could also be destroyed, Israeli statesman Shimon Peres said on Monday.
Peres, vice prime minister in Ehud Olmert's new government, said Tehran was mocking the international community's attempts to resolve the crisis over its nuclear ambitions.
"They want to wipe out Israel ... Now when it comes to destruction, Iran too can be destroyed (but) I don't suggest to say an eye for an eye," Peres told Reuters in an interview.
"Israel would defend itself under any condition but we don't look upon it as an Iranian-Israeli conflict exclusively ... (Iran) is basically a danger to the world, not just to us."
Peres warned of a nuclear arms race if Iran produced a nuclear weapon. "If Iran becomes nuclear many other countries will follow suit ... and whoever will have a conflict will produce a bomb. and finally some bombs will reach the hands of terror," he said.
